Postal workers ready to decide on strike action over shares row

By Mary Dundon, Political Reporter POSTAL workers who marched on the Dáil yesterday will decide next week if they are going to escalate their campaign for strike action.

The Communications Workers Union (CWU) want the Government to honour its commitment to give postal workers a 14.9% stake in the company. "Our national executive council will meet next Tuesday to decide what further action will be taken and I am not ruling out industrial action," said CWU head of regulatory affairs Michael Bride. The 200 postal workers and retired postal workers who marched on the Dáil yesterday were supported by Labour deputies Tommy Broughan and Sean Ryan, Green Party deputy John Gormley and Sinn Féin deputies Martin Ferris and Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin. Mr Broughan, who is Labour's communications spokesman, criticised the Government for its failure to deliver on promises made to postal workers.

The CWU negotiated a transformation agreement with the Department of Communications whereby they promised to deliver improved work practices in return for the establishment of an Employee Shared Ownership Trust (ESOT) for postal workers, said Mr Broughan.

Despite the Postal Miscellaneous Provisions Bill being in circulation since 2001, the Government has failed to act upon the agreement it made with postal workers to establish an ESOT, he said.

While the postal workers have held their side of the bargain, the Government has reneged on its promises, he said.

Postal workers are also annoyed about Communications Minister Dermot Ahern's refusal to meet them to discuss these matters.

"The Government must now deliver on its commitment to our postal workers I will be raising this issue in the Dáil," said Mr Broughan.

But Mr Ahern's spokesman has rejected claims that he has reneged on his deal with the postal workers.

"They have not delivered on their cost-savings or profit target commitments. The company lost almost E70 million in the past two years," said the spokesman.

Mr Ahern has to protect the taxpayer who owns the company and he will not hand over any shares until the postal workers honour their commitments, he said.